The Winnipeg Jets won’t have forward Mark Scheifele in the lineup on Friday night when they hope to eliminate the St. Louis Blues with a Game 6 road victory.
The top-line centre took two punishing bodychecks in Winnipeg’s 5-3 home win over the Blues in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Scheifele did not return after the first intermission.
“He won’t be coming on the trip,” Jets head coach Scott Arniel said Thursday at the Winnipeg airport.
Scheifele, who has six points in the series, is considered day to day. Arniel did not provide specifics on the injury.
The Jets are one victory away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2021. If a deciding seventh game is required, it will be played Sunday at Canada Life Centre.
Scheifele was hit along the boards by Blues captain Brayden Schenn, who was penalized for interference. Schenn and the Jets’ Brandon Tanev also got two minutes for roughing for the dust-up after the hit.
Scheifele later took an open-ice hit from Radek Faksa, which Arniel said was the cause of Scheifele’s injury.
Vladislav Namestnikov took Scheifele’s place on the top line and scored in the second period.
“I’m so proud of the group, how everybody stepped up,” Arniel said. “It’s what our team has done all year. Guys go down and other guys step in. It’s going to be just as large tomorrow.”
The Jets are already without star forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who has missed the series with a right foot injury. Ehlers, who recently started skating again, will travel with the team to St. Louis but won’t be available for Game 6.
“We did the job last night and now we’ve got to turn around and do it again,” Arniel said.
Scheifele recorded 87 points (39 goals, 48 assists) in the regular season.
